[WORLD CUP 2018/2022] The USA Bid Committee has its share of politicians and executives, soccer and otherwise, on its board of directors, but it also has celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment. Oscar De La Hoya, who joined the board of directors, fits into both categories.

As a boxer, De La Hoya won 10 different world titles spanning six different weight categories, as well as a 1992 Olympic gold medal.

De La Hoya, who retired from boxing in 2009, has invested heavily in business and philanthropic activities in Hispanic communities in his native Los Angeles and across the country and became part-owner of MLS's Houston Dynamo in 2008.

&ld quo;Oscar is known around the world as a champion boxer, but he’s an equally impressive champion for Hispanic issues across our nation,” said Sunil Gulati, the Chairman of the USA Bid Committee and President of U.S. Soccer. “In addition to his honorable philanthropic endeavors, Oscar is a passionate soccer fan who is contributing to the growth of the sport in this country with his involvement in MLS and the Dynamo. We are trilled to have him as part of the USA Bid, as we continue to make our case.”

De La Hoya joins the Board of Directors of the USA Bid Committee that recently welcomed Academy Award-nominated director Spike Lee, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ESPN Executive Vice President for Content John Skipper, Washington Post CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth, Walt Disney Company President and CEO Robert Iger, comedian and Seattle Sounders FC part-owner Drew Carey, MLS founding investor Philip Anschutz, Univision CEO Joe Uva, New England Revolution and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, U.S. Soccer Foundation President Ed Foster-Simeon, University of Miami President Donna Shalala, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. national team stars Landon Donovan and Mia Hamm, and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger.